Feathers – If All Now Here

Artist: Feathers
Album: If All Now Here
Label: Nyx
Released: May 28, 2013
Website: http://www.feathers.fm/

If All Now Here, the debut album from Austin’s own Feathers, offers a satisfying collection of dark electronic pop. Vocalist and primary songwriter Anastasia Dimou sings over a bed of 80’s-flavored synths and ominous, medium-tempo beats, often to mesmerizing effect. This combination works best on standout tracks like “Dark Matter,” where Dimou layers several interlocking vocal melodies over each other, her breathy voice creating a dreamy, pleasantly formless haze. However, Dimou’s vocals suffer when left to stand alone, as on “Night Seances,” where her voice sounds plain and somewhat lifeless against the minimal accompaniment. Still, while Dimou lacks the charisma to sell the album’s lesser songs, the best material uses her voice to very good effect. On the aptly titled “Dream Song,” her vocals are airy and gently slurred, as though she were just awakened from a deep sleep, nicely complementing the lovely synth break that casts a hazy cloud over the latter half of the song.

While Feathers aren’t quite distinctive enough to set themselves apart from more disinguished peers like Grimes or Chvrches, If All Now Here is nonetheless a satisfyingly dreamy synth pop record. Fans of the current wave of dream pop and indie electronica will be pleased by Feathers’ knack for atmospherically layered melody.

Reviewed by John McAlmon